Bathroom Fittings for Historic Houses

Jonathan Taylor

A bathroom interior from the 1887 catalogue of Meyer-Sniffen Co Limited

Bathrooms as we know them today are a relatively modern development.
In the early 19th century water was fed to houses by lead pipes, sometimes with timber casings, which tended to leak leaving insufficient pressure for the
water to reach much above ground level. Bathing took place either in
front of the kitchen range or outside in the yard, or in the wealthier
homes, in the bedroom. Baths were taken in large, portable tubs and
jugs of water and bowls set on a wash stand sufficed as a wash basin,
with the chamber pot under the bed.

Water
closets, although outside, were comparatively sophisticated. The valve
closet which flushed much as a modern one, was encased in timber to
form a seat over the pan which contained water. A complicated valve
mechanism released the water into a lower chamber when it was flushed.
Others, such as the pan closet were rinsed with a jug of water by hand.

Major
improvements in the supply of water occurred throughout the 19th century.
First the development of steam pumping engines enabled pressure
to be increased, followed by the introduction of cast iron mains in
the 1820s. For the first time water had sufficient pressure to be piped
to a tank in the attic of houses, allowing plumbed-in bathroom fittings.
Most houses in Manchester and London were connected to a mains supply
by the middle of the century, but many, particularly in the north of
England were still sharing communal stand-pipes until well into the 20th
century.

Original lead pipework under an Edwardian bracket-supported wash basin

Some stately homes, such as Phillipps House in Wiltshire, had bathing facilities in the late 18th
century. However, the first bathrooms
we would recognise – with a water closet, bath and wash basin – were
converted from bedrooms in the houses of the wealthy from the 1840s.
An early example survives at Longleat in Wiltshire, which includes a leadlined tub
with vertical boards bound with iron hoops like an oval beer barrel,
probably made for the 3rd Marchioness on the estate. Alongside it there
is a valve closet, but otherwise the room looks like a bedroom.

House
plans for even the more elegant houses of the mid-19th century show
that most people still relied on a single outside closet, but by the
early 1860s purpose-built rooms were being incorporated at first floor
level in some new houses. The common plan-form of terraced houses emerged,
incorporating a bathroom in an extension to the rear, with a separate
water closet in a small room next to it opening off the landing. This
arrangement continued throughout the period. In recent years these have
often been incorporated into the bathroom to create a larger space.

From
the start, these small, purpose-built bathrooms had a radically different
character from the soft furnishings of the converted bedrooms of the
past due to the problems caused by steam. They usually had tiled floors
and walls, at least up to dado height, with varnished wallpapers above,
or bare floorboards with varnished wall papers.

Wash basins followed
the lines of early wash stands, set in marble tops with elegant cabinets
below. Baths followed a similar pattern, with copper linings supported
on a timber frame and enclosed by a cabinet. The combined bath and shower
were particularly popular with a series of side sprays and shower options,
controlled by taps on the side of the shower cabinet.

Cabinets
became less common as the century progressed as they were considered
to harbour dirt. Ceramic baths provided the first alternative, followed
by enamelled cast iron baths with roll-tops and ball feet, which began
to appear from around 1880 onwards. Wash basins began to be supported
on brackets off the wall, or on fine legs. The pedestal support did
not appear until much later.

RESTORATION
AND CONSERVATION

Original bathroom fittings, including tiles, bath, basins and other sanitary ware are of great historic importance, contributing to the character and interest of historic buildings. Repair and restoration is almost always achievable with the right specialist advice. Where original basins and other sanitary ware are broken, it is even possible to have new fittings cast by specialist manufacturers to replicate the original.

Where original fittings are missing, it is possible to find 'period'
bathroom fittings which are in keeping with the character of those fittings that do survive. Reproductions include some fine examples from the late Victorian period to the 1930s.

Salvaged fittings provide another popular alternative, but here caution is advisable. The high prices commanded for the finest antiques encourages the theft
of originals, and historic houses left vacant during building works are occasionally ransacked for their chimney pieces and bathroom
fittings in particular. Salvage yards which subscribe
to the SALVO Code offer some assurance of provenance.

There
are essentially two schools of thought on what is an appropriate addition
to an historic building: some conservationists consider that all new
additions should be distinctly modern so as not to confuse the history
of its development; others take the view that additions should be 'in
keeping' with the character of the original, and never of an earlier
date. Provided that no alterations are made to important surviving features,
either approach is generally accepted by the statutory authorities for
a listed building.

However, features considered to be 'important' can
include later features as well as the originals; and a particularly
fine Edwardian interior scheme in a Georgian town house may be considered
just as important as the original.
Otherwise there is considerable flexibility and the choice of design
will almost always be left to the owner's personal choice.

This article was first published in The Building Conservation Directory 1996 and was revised and updated in January 2015.

Author

JONATHAN TAYLOR is the editor of The Building Conservation Directory and a co-founder of Cathedral Communications Limited. He studied architectural conservation at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh and has a background in architectural design, conservation and urban regeneration.